Sandy Sweeps Over Campus

Montclair State University never ceases to surprise us. MSU giving us a day off is as common as getting a glimpse of Halley’s Comet, but we are pleased to report that MSU has conducted itself very well during Sandy. With the complications on Clove Road and with the public transportation system, Montclair State University put its students first throughout the storm.

Many of us were doubtful about getting the whole week off. Our university is notorious for staying open, but it seems that we were fortunate enough to be sheltered.

Not only were most dorms completely operational, but so were the dining halls. The diligent workers of Sam’s and Freeman worked throughout the whole storm and kept us fed.

Though there were complaints from some students who were evacuated from Clove Road about using their swipes. Students who live on Clove Road are not required to have a meal plan, which means their swipes are limited.

The university doesn’t have control over the weather. It wasn’t some ploy to get us to use swipes, it was necessary. To be stingy with swipes when the school is doing us a favor by keeping dining halls open is wrong. The university was fair to those who were running low on swipes by allowing them to eat for free during Sandy.

While on the topic of immaturity, the damage done to Bohn Hall is unacceptable.

After power wires snapping and generators breaking, all of Clove Road was left completely out of power. So instead of keeping students in the dark the University arranged for shuttles to transfer all those without power to unoccupied dormitories.

Unoccupied dorms were also offered to commuters who lost power, as well as staff. Other than the dining staff, MSU housed the EMT’s and campus police in order to make sure we were prepared in any case of emergency.

It is hard, we understand. No one is thrilled about being removed from their homes, but to disrespect the extra housing was completely unnecessary.

Many students did have a problem trying to access their apartments during the storms. It seems that MSU had the locks in Hawk Crossings replaced.

Students were not able to access their apartments. We believe that the university had the students’ safety at heart and for that reason made the apartments inaccessible.

Though it disappointed some students who could not retrieve their belongings, think about the potential harm you could put yourself in when entering a pitch dark apartment.

The university probably thought about your belongings as well. To avoid any thefts, the university switched the locks.

The locks were clearly switched back when Clove Road was deemed safe and students were allowed to return.

Any damage that was done to the campus was fixed before the reopening of school. Many of the trees that toppled over were chopped up and removed practically overnight.

Damage to any of the buildings was also taken care of, for example, the roof damage in Dickson Hall was easily repaired and classes were allowed to resume in the building.

In terms of notifying students, the university did exceptionally well. Though many thought the first announcement was late, MSU was very prompt with keeping up with the storm.

No university likes to close school, so we understand their hesitation. Students received updates via the cell phone alert system, which we recommend you subscribe for, and email.

Montclair State University kept up with transportation issues and various other problems that the storm brewed up, which led to their decision to close down campus.

We should be thankful for MSU’s consideration for their students. We should also applaud the wonderful staff that provided for us while we were stuck on campus.

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